"Chicago morning radio is a dream," Frederick (pictured right), 30, said in announcing his move Thursday night on "Fox News Edge" (see video above), which he has co-hosted on Charlotte's WCCB-TV in addition to his "A.M. Mayhem" morning program on Clear Channel's WIBT-FM.

It's due in the fall of next year from Hachette's Grand Central Publishing, although he might want to be able to tease it a tad earlier, if only so Oprah Winfrey can talk it up before leaving syndicated broadcast TV in September 2011.

November 04, 2009

In a bid to take advantage of their reported reach of more than 1.2 million African Americans each week, Clear Channel Radio Chicago is unifying its WGCI-FM 107.5, WVAZ-FM 102.7 and WGRB-AM 1390 under a single sales banner.

Formation of the Clear Channel Chicago Urban Network marks a significant change for the media conglomerate in that it previously grouped its stations for ad sales primarily on the basis of the age of the audience they targeted.

The Urban Network looks to offer marketers a single cross-platform opportunity to reach Chicago's African-American audience through radio, digital and event marketing even as programming on WGCI, V103 and Inspiration 1390 continue to target different parts of that group.

November 02, 2009

Joe Gersh is set to take on the general sales manager duties for WLIT-FM 93.9, WNUA-FM 95.5 and WKSC-FM 103.5, effective Nov. 11, Clear Channel Radio Chicago Director of Sales Matt Scarano announced Monday.

Replacing Tyler on V103 will be Kris Kelley, who will continue to serve WGCI program director.

“Like all media companies, Clear Channel Radio has to adjust its business to the realities of the current economy and advertising market," the company said in a statement."The changes we’ve made today complete a process begun in January. We’re not commenting on specific people and we’re not commenting on specific job functions or titles.”

Others affected in this round of cuts included Jeff "Smash" Murray, who was part of Kevin "Drex" Buchar's morning show on WKSC-FM 103.5 as well as the station's music director and assistant program director, and Bill Cochran, who served WNUA-FM 95.5 in a variety of production and on-air capacities over the years. Most of Tuesday's cuts were focused on back-office operations, however.

Clear Channel also told employees it would temporarily suspend the corporate match for their 401(k) accounts.

About this blog

This is an expansion of the Chicago Tribune column I have written since April 2005, and the columns I wrote for the Chicago Sun-Times and Los Angeles’ Daily News for two decades before that. It’s TV, radio, newspapers and whatever, both locally and nationally. Beyond sharing what crosses my desk—and my mind—this will be a venue for you to share your takes with me as well as with each other. About Phil Rosenthal